Happy Earth Day!

I’m writing to express my opposition to the Cap & Trade / Green Jobs legislation that you are about to consider.  Carbon tariffs are nothing more than yet another means of increasing revenue for the federal government.  (We’ve been promised no new taxes, so they’re called something different.)  The science suggesting that carbon dioxide causes global warming has been strongly refuted, as has been the phenomenon of global warming itself.

And what would be the effect of government subsidies to encourage the growth of green jobs and renewable energy?  I agree with President Obama on that issue, in that we should consider what has happened in Spain, where renewable energy initiatives are crippling the economy.  Please see the report here.

Furthermore, please don’t sell your vote in return for promises of revenue sharing with the state over onshore and offshore oil production.  If cap & trade legislation passes, refining and petro-chemical companies that have blessed our state with good jobs will not be able to operate competitively and will be forced to relocate, and they won’t be around to process the crude.  Employment will further suffer, nationally, and the demand for crude will diminish.

Finally, for reasons alluded to in the previous paragraph, cap & trade will not reduce carbon emissions.  Manufacturing processes that emit significant quantities of carbon will relocate to more “carbon friendly” locales and will continue to emit.

Please vote against this terrible legislation.